LAX Terminals 1 and 2 set to open in shooting aftermath

Century Blvd before LAX is closed down after a shooting at Terminal 3 Friday Nov. 1 2013 Chuck Bennett/Staff Photographer

Los Angeles International Airport was planning to reopen Terminals 1 and 2 this afternoon in the aftermath of the morning shooting that prompted their closure.

Terminals on the north side of LAX were shut down after a gunman opened fire at around 9:20 a.m. at a Transportation Security Administration screening area in Terminal 3.

Terminal 3 will not reopen, but an airport spokeswoman said Los Angeles World Airports will try to find tenants space elsewhere at the airport. Frontier, Virgin America and JetBlue are the main airlines operating at Terminal 3. JetBlue was diverting many of its flights to Long Beach.

The parking garage at Terminal 3 also remains closed. Garages at Terminals 1 and 2 were scheduled to reopen this afternoon.

Airport officials recommended that passengers call airlines before they come to the airport, as many flights at all airports have been canceled.

It will take considerable time before the terminals are back to normal. Hundreds of people were waiting at Terminal 1 this afternoon, with many lounging on the baggage scales at the check-in areas. All of those passengers will have to be screened by security officials.